


Ripping At The Seams

by catstellation



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Arguing, Break Up, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-08-22 13:58:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16599212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catstellation/pseuds/catstellation
Summary: Sometimes couples fight. Italy and Germany have had their fair share of disagreements. So most nations aren't too concerned about when they start arguing after a meeting, until... it starts getting out of hand.Can the seams be repaired?





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so i just want to get one this straight because some people might get confused. i headcanon that italy and russia too both have 'fake' voices (the ones you hear in the show) and their real voices. italy sounds very similar to romano (slightly higher) and russia's is really deep, deeper than a majority of the characters, if not all of them.
> 
> the other nations DO know that the voices they have are fake, but they rarely hear it so it startles them when that happens. or turns em on. depending who it is.

Nations tried not to hold grudges against each other. Not only was it hard to stick to said grudges, but if the nation was determined enough to hold it, it made everyone uncomfortable and they didn’t like hanging around that nation. It made a rift. The last time someone held a grudge, it was the Cold War. England and France knew about holding grudges. Spain and England still sort of held grudges but most of the time they talked like old friends.

A majority of the time, most nations were very private about grudges and fights if it did happen. However, some of the younger nations weren’t as well versed in those ways and were much more open with their feelings. 

No one knew how the fight started. All they knew was that Germany and Italy were in a full-blown yelling match in the closed meeting room. The doors were shut (thank goodness, everyone _knew_ how loud Germany could get), but they could hear their voices muffled through the thick oak doors. The meeting was long since over, but everyone had stuck around for two reasons: the hotel was giving free snacks outside, and they wanted to know the probably ridiculous reason that Germany and Italy were fighting.

For once, it didn’t sound good.

But, no one could leave. They wanted to hear the end of it. How would they make up? Maybe they would have to make up the next day. Sometimes that happened. Now, the voices were getting louder. 

“You’re always like this!” Italy yelled, startling the people outside. A few of them jumped slightly. Italy was loud, but he never _yelled_. He was almost dropping his voice facade.

“I’m only like this because I’m concerned, Italy!” Germany shouted back. It was unnerving because no one ever heard him raise his voice specifically at Italy. But everyone within about ten metres of the doorway didn’t think of it for long. Because the conversation inside got even louder.

“I don’t need you to micromanage me, Germany! I have been alive for long enough-- longer than _you_ \-- I don’t need you to tell me what to do all the time!”

“You’re completely irresponsible! I _have_ to remind you to do the most simple of tasks because you simply don’t know how to make a proper schedule! You’re the one who, on _multiple occasions_ , I might add, has made it halfway to meetings without _pants on_ because I thought I didn’t have to remind you that morning!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re so controlling-”

“I _have_ to be!”

“MAYBE THIS IS WHY I LEFT YOU IN WORLD WAR TWO! YOU ALWAYS FELT CONTROLLING AND OVERBEARING, AND I SEE _NOTHING_ HAS CHANGED!”

Silence. 

Everywhere, silence. The room inside, silent. The hall outside the doors, silent. So silent, dropping a pin could be heard if desired. Everyone _knew_ world wars were still too fresh to bring up in arguments. Japan, who was standing mere feet from the door, looked horrified. He wasn’t the only one. 

Anyone knew better than to bring that up but it didn’t change the past now. It was said. A few more heartbeats, and the doors flung open to reveal Germany, quickly leaving the smaller room, arm covering his face. Prussia who was near one of the tables (and had, in light of recent events, dropped his plate of snacks), stepped into his brother’s path.

“Germany, I think…” the albino man trailed off as he got closer. Germany had slowed down slightly, brought his arm away from his face slightly, and revealed his eyes, now watery and red. Was he… _crying?_ Prussia wasn’t the only one to see it.

“Not right now,” Germany whispered weakly, his voice broken, “I just need to be alone.”

Prussia usually didn’t back down in these kinds of situations, but the shock of seeing Ger- _Ludwig_ cry for the first time in probably… _forever_ … was enough for him to leave the taller man alone.

Just as Germany was about to round the corner to the exit, Italy burst out of the conference room. 

“Germany! Ludwig, please wait, I didn’t mean to-” 

He abruptly stopped, only watched as Germany looked back at him for a split second, face twisted into devastation, and left. Romano, for once in his life, looked genuinely concerned, and rushed to Italy’s side, Prussia on his heels. Italy himself, though obviously shaken, didn’t cry for once. Instead, his eyes wide, he slipped in Romano’s embrace to his knees. It seemed as though the usually-peppy country couldn’t hear anything.

“Italy, Italy, you need to stand up, _Oh dio, sei così stupido_ …” Romano mumbled, attempting to pull Italy up by the arm. The countries around them were wide-eyed at what just went down. In fact, what _did_ just go down? It had all happened too fast for any of them to actually process it.

“I didn’t mean to…” Italy whispered, “ _Oh dio. Lui mi odia ora_ …”


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Germany's POV, after the fact

Germany threw the door to his own house open, hot tears streaming down his face. He tried to keep his breathing under control, he really did. But all his efforts were for naught, his throat tightening. He felt sick. Blackie, Aster, and Berlitz, his dogs, bounded up to him but didn’t get too close; they knew something was wrong. Germany continued past them, into his room, closing the door slightly louder than intended. He pressed his back against it and slumped down, placed his crossed arms on his legs, and sobbed.

Italy was supposed to be the one who forgave him. Italy was supposed to be the one who accepted him for his beyond terrible past. For the past he never asked for. Italy was supposed to be the one who, on every day dedicated to remembering veterans, didn’t give him or his people dirty looks and harsh words.

Italy was supposed to be different.

After all, who could love him? His own brother was obligated to, that was all he knew. Everyone else was just putting up with him. They didn't care about him, no, not really. They wanted to keep an eye on him. He was a ticking time bomb to them. There was no telling what his boss would make him do.

He didn’t want to be like that.

How long he was there, slumped against the door, Germany didn’t know. He only knew it was a while because his tears no longer came, and he felt hollow. He had started dry sobbing. Silence pressed on his mind from all sides. Maybe if he slept it would relieve… _something_. Anything. All he needed was to stop thinking about it.

Ambling to his bed, he dropped in exhaustion onto the mattress. It was done up well; he always made sure it was pristine, sheets and blanket tucked. But now, he just didn’t care. He burrowed himself in his sheets, effectively messing it up. Except as soon as he brought his blankets close to his face, the scent of spices, herbs, and a tang of tomato brought salty tears back into his eyes. So he got up, opting for Prussia’s room instead. He couldn’t handle that right now. Not at all. He just wanted to sleep.

Prussia’s room was a dark greyish blue, with matching sheets. Much like Germany’s own room, it was clean and orderly. Just how he knew it. That was something, he supposed, he could count on. He didn’t waste time burying himself in the fluffy blankets that Prussia insisted on keeping in the chest and the end of his bed. He just wanted to be comfortable and surrounded by something that didn’t make him think of… North Italy. 

It took him a while to stop the trickling of tears, but it came, late at night, and he _almost_ started to fall asleep before the door to the house bursted open, startling him awake. 

 

“Ludwig? Shit, his shoes aren’t here. Ludwig are you home?” he heard Prussia call. His older brother’s voice was strained and slightly panicked. “The dogs haven’t been let out yet.”

“Do you want to look for him and for me to let them out?” a girl’s voice asked. _Hungary_ , Germany briefly thought.

“Please, yes. I’ll go look in his room.” 

Germany did want to say something, but his throat was terribly sore from crying. After all, he hadn’t cried in, what, almost a hundred years now? So he kept quiet, letting the soft blankets around him hold him tightly. It really didn’t help too much, he was still cold and miserable, but it did help him slightly.

The door opened to Prussia’s room. Prussia himself stuck his head into it, letting out a cry of joy seeing Germany’s now messy hair under his blankets.

“Ludwig! Thank God! Where have you _been_?! We’ve been looking-- Liz! I found him!”

Germany felt the bed dip slightly, and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter. “I’m sorry, Gil,” he croaked, tucking his head under a fold in the blanket.

“No no, it’s fine, Luddy. I know why… it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Gilbert tugged at the blanket, a clear prompt for Germany to roll over, and while part of him wanted to ignore the albino man, he found himself flipped on his other side anyway.

“Oh God, you look _horrible_. Come here.” Without much warning, Prussia pulled part of the blanket around himself and wrapped his arms around Germany as best he could. Moments later, Hungary appeared in the doorway. After a few heartbeats of consideration, she followed suit, on his opposite side and with considerably less blanket stealing.

Germany swallowed thickly, trying to keep the tears at bay. He was tired of crying but it wouldn’t stop. “I don’t deserve this. I’m just… a monster.”

“Absolutely not,” Prussia said firmly, “if you were a monster we wouldn’t be here. You are _not_ a monster.”

He tried his best to stop crying again. But it didn’t work, and he shivered pathetically, letting out another choked sob. The people around him only hugged tighter. Maybe _they_ really didn’t think he was a monster. 

But he knew who did.


	3. 3

“Italy, please, you need to get up,” Spain begged, looping his arm under Italy’s and tugging upwards. “You need to at least get home.”

But Italy wasn’t listening, it seemed like, because he didn’t make any move to make Spain’s efforts any easier. Romano shook his head slowly. Even he himself would say nothing about any of the world wars to Germany. Partly because he personally wouldn’t like it if Germany retaliated and said something about it back. But also partly because it was just courtesy and he was going to remain courteous. 

Italy still wasn’t moving, though. His wide eyes were hazy and unfocusing. It put Romano off. He wasn’t used to seeing Italy like this. No one was.

“Um, would you like me to help?” 

Both Spain and Romano turned, jumping at the sound of and all-too-familiar voice. Russia. But for once, the huge nation didn’t seem inexplicably cheerful, instead wearing a concerned look. 

Romano was still terrified of him, though. “Uhh…”

“Please do,” Spain replied, effectively cutting off Romano, who frowned. Russia obliged, carefully picking an almost ragdoll-like Feliciano into his arms. It looked sort of unsettling, but Romano figured it was for the best. He certainly wouldn’t be able to carry Italy up to his room. Even though technically Spain could have. Probably.

“Which room is his?” Russia murmured. Romano pointed to the room to their left. Italy still wasn’t responding even as Russia lay him on the bed and left, with a simple wish of luck. 

Both Romano and Spain, at that point, decided to leave Italy alone in his bedroom but stay on the couch in the living room area of the hotel room. 

“Damn,” Romano whispered as soon as they were out of earshot, “Italy really… wow. He brought up the _war_ with _Germany_ of all people?”

Spain nodded. “Seems so.”

“Even I know better than to do _that_ with him.”

“You do.”

The room was basically silent. Romano was still unnerved by the fact that Italy still hadn’t burst into tears. That what he was basically known for, his childish way of crying at every stressful situation. “Do you think he’s going to be okay?”

Spain sighed, laying his head back on the ruby red couch and putting his feet up on the coffee table. “I don’t know. That’s quite something, bringing up the war in an argument. Me and England don’t even talk much about our pirate days like that. It’s in the past.”

Romano nodded, bringing his knees up to his chest, carefully making sure his shoes didn’t touch the fabric of the couch. “He really fucked up didn’t he.”

“Mhm.”

They sat there for a while in comfortable silence. Italy either had fallen asleep or something, because he was making absolutely no noise from his place in the bedroom. Romano had started to get worried but tried not to show it, opting to remain neutral. 

“Roma?”

The timid voice jerked him out of his thoughts, turning to see Italy standing at the doorway, holding his arms tightly around himself. Romano felt his chest pang. “Yes?”

“That… that didn’t happen, right?”

Spain and Romano exchanged glances, both feeling terrible about the whole situation. Spain was the one who spoke up. “Italy, we-- yes, it happened.”

Italy seemed to break right there and then, tears welling in his eyes, falling to the ground once again. The couch-dwellers leapt up and immediately rushed to his side. “Italy, oh, Feliciano… You really did love him,” Spain whispered, rubbing the smaller man’s back in attempt to ease his breathing. It didn’t do much.

“Did?! I still do!” Italy choked out, pushing the comforting hands away from himself, “I love him so much! But now he hates me! I can’t… I can’t…”

“Do you really think, what you said? Did you really leave Germany because he was controlling?” Spain pressed, much to Romano’s dismay. He’d just make it worse. 

“No no, no of course not! My boss was the one to pull me out of the war. I didn’t have much say. I agreed simply because of the fact that my people were dying, not because…” He trailed off, curling in on himself, seemingly in shame. “...not b-because he was controlling. He was just scary. His boss seemed to control his mind.”

No one could really argue with that. Romano sighed, pulling Italy forcefully to his feet (he hoped briefly that he wouldn’t have to go find Russia) and his brother albeit hesitantly, followed him to the bedroom.

“Feliciano, you’re going to have to sleep to prepare for tomorrow,” Spain advised from the living room area, “We have another meeting first thing.”

“...Stay with me,” Italy whispered to Romano. Again, he sighed. Of course he wasn’t going to leave Italy alone. 

“Spain, you can go if you’d like. I’m going to stay with Feli, okay?”

“Okay.” He glanced at Italy, who was climbing slowly onto the king sized bed. “Good luck.”


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY QUICK EDIT: 'the road' is how nations travel, they are all somewhat magical and can conjure up a road to whatever place they please (as long as they have enough magic energy, it has a cooldown time)

France couldn’t sleep that night, despite England holding him tightly from behind. They had arranged to share a room since, for now, they were on great terms. And France should have been happy because of that, but… with what happened with Germany and Italy earlier, his whole mood remained grey. 

He shifted slightly in England’s arms. He was incredibly comfortable and if his mind wasn’t racing, he would be fast asleep. But since he was one of the people who helped Germany and Italy get together in the first place (not many people knew they were, in fact, a couple; much like himself and England), he felt partially responsible for the event. How had he not known that they would have had problems like that? He shivered. 

By now, he should have fallen asleep. He needed to get rest for the continuation of the meeting tomorrow. But nothing he tried helped. It was probably past midnight, he guessed, since certain activities that took place earlier went somewhat later than planned (England wanted both to get to bed and to have some fun, which France couldn’t deny). Not to mention they had gone to try and find Germany on Prussia’s request, only to turn up nothing. He probably had summoned The Road and gone out of the country. 

“ _Angleterre_? Are you awake?” France whispered, as quietly as possible, just in case the other nation wasn’t. There was a heartbeat of silence before he received a hum in response. Then, “Mm… what’s wrong, love?”

“I just… I can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

He paused briefly. Much like a majority of the other nations (minus Romano, Hungary, and Prussia, and possibly Spain), England didn’t know that Germany and Italy were a couple. “I don’t know. I’m sorry for bothering you, Arthur.”

Arms wrapped around his waist tightened slightly. “I think you do.”

“I suppose it’s because of Germany and Italy. The fight…” he trailed off, but the guilt in his voice was evident. It made him feel slightly sick. 

“Go on, it’s best to talk about it.”

“I feel partially responsible for it? I mean, I helped them get together but apparently even being the country of romance didn’t help, since now they’re… not.”

He could feel England frown (it was that hard, _Dieu_ he needed those small ferrets on his face plucked) and press against his neck. “I’m sure they’re still friends, after all, we have the same problem on occasion.”

France flipped onto his opposite side so he was facing England’s tired, meadow-coloured eyes. “But their relationship isn’t like that! They are loving and sometimes they have quarrels, yes, but such is normal. _That_ fight was not like that. Italy pulled… _the war card_. I feel like I should have seen it coming and prevented it! And none of us did anything to stop it, but we could have! I feel terrible that I let it get to that point!” He started getting more hysterical. “But now they hate each other! They were so happy together before, and now Germany hates Italy probably, and Italy is sad, and it’s going to be terrible at meeting, we would know, since it happens to us a lot! And now-”

“Francis, Francis, take a deep breath,” England murmured, firmly holding the other man’s shoulders. France did as he was told, but it didn’t prevent a tear of stress sliding down his cheek. “It’s not your fault, love. There’s nothing that could have been done.”

“But…”

“Francis, love, believe me. It was bound to happen at some point. Not every relationship is perfect. Having that kind of fight can be beneficial to the people involved, as we know! It’s better that they let it out than hold it in. That shows that there was something unaddressed.”

Francis took a shuddering breath, relaxing slightly. “I suppose so…”

“Listen. If Germany and Italy don’t make up over the next few days, we’ll see what we can do to help, alright? Germany is too punctual and responsible to miss a meeting.”

“ _Oui_ , that’s true…”

“For now, you need to rest,” Arthur hummed, gently running his hands through Francis’ hair. It prompted a sigh. He snuggled further into the other man, treasuring the warmth. He felt slightly guilty that neither Italy nor Germany would be feeling the same thing, only the emptiness that came with a breakup. 

He did feel calmer. Finally, he drifted off to sleep, silently vowing that he would help Germany and Italy get together again.


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shamelessly writes rusame into gerita fic* heheh

Russia climbed slowly into the huge bed in his quiet room, the recent events running through his head. He didn’t like being put in these kinds of situations, but this one seemed different. Germany and Italy were too heartbroken to just be… friends? Is that what they were? He wasn’t sure. Maybe they were close as siblings. That would explain it, but… something just didn’t sit right when he thought about them that way.

Pulling out his phone, he opened the messenger app and texted the only person on his list other than Germany (who organized the meeting schedules and sent them to everyone). America. Russia briefly wondered if he’d respond this late, but didn’t think to much about it.

_[sorry about texting so late but im really worried about germany and italy]_

The three dots indicating that America was typing almost appeared immediately, which surprised and baffled Russia. He still wasn’t used to the idea of someone willingly talking to him. 

A few moments later, the response came. 

**{same here I dunno but it just feels wrong u know?}**

It did, actually. Germany and Italy had been very close for the longest time, even back when he himself was quite young, when Germany went by Holy Roman Empire. Well, Russia didn’t actually know if they were the same person. But that's besides the point. They were close for as long as he could remember.

_[yes, thats true]_

**{what did they make u do??}**

_[i carried italy to his room]_

**{what did he say}**

_[u ask so many questions]_

**{yes i do so what did italy say}**

_[nothing. he was not responsive]_

Russia briefly wondered if it was because of himself that Italy wasn’t talking. He did have that kind of effect on people, whether he wanted to or not. Maybe Italy was mad at him because he carried the Italian to the room and that was embarrassing. 

**{really? for him thats really rare. i thought hed be crying the moment he said that}**

_[just because hes sad doesnt mean he will cry. i dont usually when im sad.]_

**{but hes italy! he always cries when hes sad.}**

_[true but sometimes the pain is too great to cry.]_

**{true….}**

**{should we do something about it?}**

_[i was thinking we should but what should we do? if they dont want to be together there isnt much we can do to make them]_

****{well clearly they do want to be together, since germany was crying and italy tried to stop him from leaving}** **

_[true]_

****{what if we just wait and see how germany feels tomorrow during the meeting? bc they might have made up by then}** **

_[we can but i doubt germany would feel any different]_

_[i would know]_

_[this happens to me all the time]_

There was a lull in the conversation, the small dots that usually indicated Alfred was typing not present. Russia immediately felt bad, because usually he wasn’t so open with his emotions. Had he said too much? But a few seconds later they appeared. 

****{i feel bad now}** **

_[sorry i dont want you to feel bad i was just saying that from personal experience that he probably wont forgive that easily if italy said something like that]_

****{youre right tho}** **

****{he probably doesnt want to go to the meeting tomorrow either}** **

****{too bad its required :/ }** **

_[yes]_

_[i would take over germanys place at the meeting if i could but no one would trust me]_

****{i would trust u}** **

Oh, how wonderful it was to have someone that would trust him! He felt his face heat up and a silly grin break his previously concerned expression. No one else would trust him but Alfred. That was a feeling that was something he wasn’t used to, but it made his chest flutter. 

_[thank you]_

_[i think ill go to bed now]_

_[goodnight]_

****{goodnight❤❤❤❤}** **

Alfred really was going to be the death of him, wasn’t he? Ivan quickly turned off the phone before he got even more embarrassed. Even though really, it didn’t matter, since he was in in own room. And no one was there to see him. 

As he readied himself for bed and finally relaxed, he decided that Germany and Italy really did seem regretful for their actions. So yes, he would help Alfred try and get them together. He knew how it was to be alone. He didn’t want that for them. But they would have to see what happened tomorrow. Hopefully they had made up, but Russia had his doubts. 


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my fav character is russia if you cant tell lmao

They were right. France was right. Everyone had assumed correctly. The meeting the next day was far from relaxed.

Most of the nations knew that there would be a problem with the fact that Germany and Italy’s chairs were right next to each other, so Latvia suggested that Italy sit where he himself usually does, behind Russia.

“It’s harder to see Germany from where I sit,” he explained, “Russia tends to… block the front of the room. By accident, of course. I think Italy should sit there so nothing happens.”

The other nations that had arrived early nodded in agreement and decided that yes, Italy should move behind the bear-like nation. The name cards were arranged and now all they had to do was wait for the rest of the nations to arrive. But all their efforts were for naught, because Germany didn’t show up.

Romano came fairly early, which was slightly abnormal for him. The Bad Touch Trio wasn’t with them, only Spain talking in a hushed voice to a sniffling Italy trailing behind them. France came a bit later with England in tow, looking concerned, but otherwise okay. Finally, Prussia came, Hungary behind him. He looked exhausted, dark smudges under his eyes and his hair mussed. Hungary looked somewhat the same, but a lot more put together. The difference between them (other than Hungary wearing, probably, a tiny bit of makeup) was the fact that Prussia looked absolutely _furious_.

His lavender-crimson eyes were deadly. Most of the older nations recognized that fire from when he was in battle. Their skin prickled if he looked their way. Hungary herself even seemed to avoid Prussia’s gaze for the most part. As the rest of the people trickled in, the meeting was set to start. Still no sign of Germany.

“Unfortunately, Germany will not be attending today, for _various reasons,_ ” Prussia began, casting a withering glare at Italy. “I will be representing the entire country today rather than just a part of it.”

As the meeting continued without much trouble, except for the biggest problem. The atmosphere of the room was extremely thick with tension. America even mocked it with a slicing motion, to which a few of the others noticed but didn’t react to. There wasn’t much room for humour. As the meeting came to a close and Finland finished presenting, Prussia slammed his fists on the table, startling the others.

“We are acting like there is nothing to be addressed here!” He turned to Italy, who immediately cowered, hiding himself behind Russia as best he could. 

“YOU! You ruined my brother! Now he thinks he’s some kind of monster and has lost trust in everyone here, _including me!_ ” Prussia snarled, rigid. “He refused to leave the house, eat, or take care of himself because he doesn’t think he deserves it!”

Spain and France jumped up and held the albino back, but it didn’t do much. He thrashed around, trying to get out of their grasp. 

“Gilbert, please, Italy didn’t do anything wrong!” Spain begged, but his only response was an elbow to his nose. Which, as it goes, didn’t end well. He had to grab it, before it started to bleed everywhere, which only let Prussia escape France’s arms.

“Italy did do something wrong,” The Frenchman defended, frowning at Spain, “but he should not be blamed for everything, Gilbert.”

“Italy didn’t,” Spain repeated, stepping back. “He really did nothing wrong. He only talked out of anger. It happens sometimes.”

“That’s _connerie, mon amie_ ,” France snapped, “That kind of anger doesn’t show up unless there’s lots of personal problems. That doesn’t validate it.”

They didn’t notice that Prussia had slipped away, advancing towards Italy. Luckily, the other nations did notice and Russia stepped in the way.

“This won’t solve anything, Prussia,” he reminded the other country gently, his voice light and high, but his eyes held a warning. “Leave Italy alone.”

“Get out of the way, Russia. I don’t need to fight you, but I sure can.”

“I think that is unwise. Move.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! I will never listen to you, no one will, let me go!”

The room, which was already tense, plunged in temperature. Russia’s smile dropped, his eyes growing hard and cold. His voice seemed to follow the temperature, deepening until it was almost felt instead of heard. “Leave him.”

Russia almost never dropped his voice facade. Everyone in the room instantly felt nervous, shivering with both fear and the cold. Nations that were previously under Russia’s rule backed up into the nearest wall, trying to block out the all-too-familiar sensations. 

Prussia faltered slightly, staring up at the huge nation, debating whether or not he should leave. But with one last look at the icy man made him back up, turn his heel, and leave. Spain and France were still arguing.  
“Italy is not the one to blame. It was a simple mistake!” Spain retorted, taking a menacing step towards France, who did the same. 

“You heard what Gilbert said. Italy broke Germany! That’s not something that can be forgiven with no second thought!”

“Spain, just let it go,” Romano begged, holding his mentor’s shoulder, but the spaniard paid no mind to him.

“I stand with Italy. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Germany refuses to leave his house. He refuses to eat because he thinks he’s a monster. If that’s not considered wrong, I don’t know what is!” France yelled, turning heel and leaving. Spain too was fuming, his emerald eyes almost smouldering with the fire of rage.

“We’re leaving, Romano.”

The other nations were left with a choice. Would they side with Italy? Had he really done nothing wrong? Or would they pity Germany, who already had personal problems with his past?


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this when it was pretty late so forgive any weird sentences, pacing, or mistakes. feel free to let me know if it bothers you, ill try and fix it :)
> 
> its also a bit longer. three pages rather than two pages on google docs lol
> 
> comments and kudos are much appreciated! thank you!

After the last meeting, everyone was glad that there was going to be a while before the next one. Hopefully, things would calm down and everyone would be fine, and hopefully Germany and Italy would overcome their problems, and hopefully Prussia would help Germany back on his feet. So many things to be hopeful about. 

But, as per usual, things weren’t really following the criteria that everyone expected (or rather, wanted) life to follow.

Germany hadn’t had much communication for a while. Italy was completely shut off from the outside world. Spain and France hadn’t seen each other since the last meeting and it didn’t seem like they really wanted to. Prussia, and Hungary occasionally, spent their time with Germany. He didn’t seem to be getting any better though.

It wasn’t long before everyone noticed that Italy and Germany really _really_ didn’t do very well without the other. Hungary and Prussia had to continuously remind Germany to eat, since Germany usually left the cooking up to Italy when he himself had work to do. Italy didn’t pay attention to a lot of things, and started to have a harder time remembering simple tasks because he didn’t have Germany to remind him.

Then there was the walking. Every night, Prussia lay awake. Not only because of the thoughts tumbling through his head, but because of the footsteps. All the time. Germany didn’t go to bed until the early hours of the morning, and he started waking up later. That was typical behaviour for a teenager, but not for a one-hundred-forty-seven-year-old immortal country with strict schedules. The only thing is, Prussia didn’t have the heart to say anything about it. Breakups were hard. Especially when they had been together for almost fifty years. The albino ex-nation didn’t have much experience in that department (he and Hungary had been together for longer than that, but they hadn’t broken up yet, so he honestly had no clue how heartbreaking it would be).

Italy, on the other hand, was the opposite to Germany, it seemed. He slept all the time, not just in the middle of the day, but seemingly _all_ day. And he ate. Like most people experiencing a breakup, he sought food that was unhealthy and sweet. Ice cream, packaged cookies, and even sugary cereals were his main source. Nations weren’t nearly as prone to gaining weight-- after all, their body types were based on their country’s average, but with a twist depending on population, power, wealth, economy, etcetera-- but that didn’t mean that it didn’t feel gross when all Italy ate was essentially junk. It also didn’t help him feel any better, but what else did he have?

Most people didn’t think about Japan, who was caught in the middle. His two best friends were not talking to each other. Naturally, workout sessions weren’t arranged, get-togethers were nonexistent, and neither of them bothered to talk to him. He felt lonely. He tried texting them after a few days, hoping they were up for talking to him, but there was nothing. Japan had heard what was going on with Germany not sleeping and Italy sleeping all day, so he assumed at least Germany would have time to talk, but to no avail. There was hardly any response. On a few occasions, there were the three dots indicating that Germany was typing, but they would disappear only seconds later with no message sent. It didn’t help Japan with his feelings. 

Did he do something wrong? He wasn’t good at all the feelings and all the physical parts of friendship, that was for sure. But he did care for Germany and Italy, even if he didn’t express it all the time. To have them both technically ‘out-of-commission’ started to stress him out. He needed someone to talk to.

Greece.

Most of the other countries-- except maybe Turkey and Italy-- didn’t know that Japan and Greece were together. Sure, they had their intimate times in the past, that wasn’t a huge secret. But neither of them really wanted to find out how people would react to them being actually together. Japan had shuddered at the thought of what China might do.

When Japan wanted to talk to someone about his feelings, Greece was definitely there for him. As Japan listened to the phone dial, he briefly wondered if Greece would be willing to listen to Italy or Germany. Would that help them at all? Or would that make Italy feel worse about the whole situation, since he knew that Japan and Greece were technically dating?

Japan had really no idea how to help. 

The ringing stopped abruptly. “Hello?”

“Heracles.”

“Kiku,” Greece greeted, “How have you been?”

“Not well.” Japan shifted slightly in his blanket that was wrapped around him. His room was a lot colder nowadays, and he assumed it wasn’t only because of the colder weather. It was partially himself. “I don’t want to bother, are you busy?”

“No, I wasn’t busy. What do you need?” Greece sounded quite concerned, and it made Japan feel a bit better.

“It’s… it’s about the whole Germany and Italy situation… I don’t feel too good about it.” There was silence on the other end. Heracles was waiting for an explanation. “I feel like I should be involved in it? After all, I’m part of their little… group I guess.”

“Is it because you fought in the war with them and it is the basis of this whole situation?”

Japan was immediately silent. Greece took the words right out of his mouth that he didn’t even know he had. That was probably why he felt so bad! It made so much more sense. 

“I suppose it is.”

Greece was quiet for a few heartbeats. “Have you tried talking to one of them?”

“Yes, but neither of them respond to texts or phone calls.”

“Mmm.”

“And I’ve tried even contacting South Italy and Prussia but neither of them say how Germany or Italy is doing. It’s a bit frustrating, because I want to know.” It really did bother him, he realized. He felt useless in this kind of situation. He didn’t know how to handle it.

“Makes sense.”

“What would you do?”

“Well, if it was someone I knew bet--”

“Turkey and I. What would you do if Turkey and I were in the same situation?”

There was more silence. After almost a minute, Japan wondered if Greece had fallen asleep. It was a possibility since Greece was always falling asleep. 

“Gre--?”

“I would not like you with Turkey in any situation.”

Japan felt his face heat up. He probably didn’t mean it in _that_ way, but the way he said that sounded somewhat… possessive. Jealous. 

“O-ok, but… ok.”

“I would probably try to talk to you but if you weren’t picking up I would leave you alone. Especially since you like your personal space.”

That was true. Greece knew him pretty well. Maybe that method of thinking would apply to Germany and Italy? As they finished their call (with a short _I love you_ from Greece that didn’t help Japan’s already warm cheeks), he decided to just leave it until the next meeting. Nations weren’t allowed to miss more than one, so technically it was guaranteed that Germany would be there, if not Italy too. 

Hopefully it would go better this time.


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk if ill be writing 2 chapters a week (before, i had backup chapters) but anyway i hope this suffices. please forgive any mistakes; it was originally supposed to be from no one's perspective but i ended up changing it to germany's at the end so some things may be off. enjoy :)

The meeting was cold. Both in the sense of temperature, and in the way people acted. Mostly because of Germany. He arrived, sat down, and was completely silent. His dark smudged eyes were trained only to his own belongings. He had the fairly impressive start of a beard that looked neatly trimmed, not by his own hand. Prussia had forced him to sit down and at least trim the thing, taking it into his own hands when Germany didn’t have the energy to. When the meeting started, he only watched the person who was talking or looking down at his notes. He forced himself to ignore everyone else.

Every so often he would glace discreetly at Italy. The auburn’s eyes were red from crying, but he kept them mostly trained on Germany, desperately trying to get the his attention. He even whimpered a bit, until he was quickly shushed by Romano, who didn't have a lot of patience usually, but he was quite a lot softer right now. He even looked concerned for his brother.

As the meeting drew to a close, everyone felt tense, knowing Italy was definitely going to try something judging by the way he sat on the edge of his seat. And as soon as China finished speaking, and dismissed the crowd, Italy leapt out of his seat and made his way to the other end of the room where Germany was cleaning up his belongings. Everyone watched out of the corner of their eyes, pretending to stand up and put away their stuff. He didn’t watch as Italy approached.

“Germany,” he began once he finally reached him, “please. Let me explain myself.”

Germany didn’t respond, feeling the pang in his heart. He intentionally turned further away from Italy. He couldn’t do this. Not now.

“I want to apologize for my behaviour a few weeks ago…” Italy began, sounding like he was reciting from a script, which in this case would make sense. “...It was completely uncalled for.”

Germany still said nothing.

Italy seemed to be thrown off by the whole thing. He probably wasn’t used to being ignored, especially by Germany. He seemed to be getting a lot more frantic. “I just want to make things right, please? You have to help me make things right!”

“I don’t have to help you with anything.” Germany’s voice was terrible; raspy and quiet. He slung his bag over his shoulder. He didn’t really pay attention to the words coming out of his mouth. “I don’t want to.”

Italy looked both perplexed and pale. He probably hadn’t expected that kind of answer. “I… I don’t--”

“Look. Italy. Things have changed. You need to move on,” Germany interrupted, surprised at his calm tone, picking up the last of his things and preparing to walk away, “Stop making this harder than you have to.”

“Germany! Wait, _please_ , you… d-don’t you love me?”

There were only a few remaining countries left in the room, but they seemed to freeze at that. Germany found himself speechless. Prussia, who was just about to leave, turned back; Germany could almost see the anger in his blood red eyes. They seemed to say how _dare_ Italy just ask Germany that question? Had he any clue what Germany had gone through in the last few weeks?

Germany felt helpless. He wanted to say yes, to hug Italy, but Italy had already called him basically a monster. He knew what Italy _really_ thought. He knew what everybody thought.

“No.”

It would be better this way. Maybe if he convinced himself that he would be fine, that everything would be fine, that he didn’t _really_ love the personification of Northern Italy. He watched said personification stumble back slightly, eyes wide and filling with tears. He struggled to keep his face neutral as Italy crumpled before him, begging to _please, please, please take it back, no no no_....he steeled himself against it, but only managed to turn away in time. He covered his face and walked out as others rushed in to help Italy. He couldn’t let his anguish show. His pain. His brokenness from being without Italy. Regret, cold and sick, coiled through his veins. _Why why why WHY did it have to be like this?_

Why couldn’t everything be easier?

As he reached the door to the outside, he was stopped by Japan.

“Germany.”

“Japan.”

He looked uncharacteristically nervous, arms tightly at his sides. “I… I was wondering if you were okay?”

Germany just stared. Japan wasn’t usually like this, he usually kept to himself. Mulling over the question, he decided that he one-hundred-percent was not okay. No, not at all. He wasn’t okay. He just lost the only person he thought still liked him. All he had now was he brother and his brother’s girlfriend to offer support and validation. He was not okay.

“I’m fine.”

With that, he pushed the door open and rounded the building, summoning the Road. He wished he could just disappear. Was there a way for him to be not immortal? He sure wished there was. He wanted to just be gone.


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry i was busy and actually completely forgot about this lmao sorry i hope to update again soon but who knows

“As you know, I’ve gathered you today because Germany and Italy are idiots.”

For once, the room of countries had room to breathe, mostly due to the fact that Germany and Italy weren’t there. It was a secret meeting. A handful of nations that were involved, or were at the very least concerned, stood around a small round table. America seemed to be in charge.

“So, my thinking is that we somehow get them back together,” he began, “since we know for a fact that they don’t do well at all if the other isn’t there.”

“That’s surprisingly deep for you,” England muttered, to which France beside him giggled at, “especially for someone who isn’t in a relationship.”

America looked offended. “I _am_ in a relationship though?”

“With McDonald’s” China snorted, “or is it a human?”

“No! I’ll have you know it’s a nation, but I’m not going to say who it is, because I don’t know if he’s comfortable with it.”

Russia, at the other end of the room, blushed. No one noticed though. Maybe for the best.

“Back to what we were talking about,” Japan interrupted, “there must be some way that we can either mend their relationship or make them get back together.”

France nodded. “They very clearly love each other still. You saw the way Germany regretted saying that to Italy last meeting.”

The others nodded in agreement, quiet mumbles throughout the room.

“So what are we going to do?” Finland piped up, raising his hand slightly to get a bit more attention, “They’re not talking and probably don’t want to, at least not for a while, right? And what about South Italy and Prussia? They probably hate each other too.”

America nodded. “Probably, you’re right.”

“I think that we should just leave them in the same room. That might force them to talk to each other.” Turkey crossed his arms, kicking his legs up onto the table. “Lock the door, throw away the key until they figure out how to make up.”

“That is definitely _not_ going to work,” China argued, “they’re not that kind of people! They need healing and time.”

“Whatever.”

“We could potentially just leave it be, and they could recognize their need for each other?” Russia chimed in from the back of the room.

America shook his head. “They need something to push them.”

“Perhaps we could put them in a stressful situation where they’re forced to work together?” Japan suggested, and a few others seemed to consider the idea. 

“What kind of situation, though?” America asked, “It has to be something not obvious to either of them.”

Japan shrugged, shaking his head. “I have no clue. You’re right, however, on the part where it shouldn’t be obvious.”

“We could always put them in a situation where it puts someone they both care about in some kind of danger.” America cracked his knuckles. “Maybe we can even get Rome and Germania to come down and talk some sense into them.”

“Ah, is that even possible? Because if so, it might work,” China mused, “England! Can you do that?”

England looked confused. “Me?”

“You’re our magic man!”

“I don’t even know if I can summon deceased nations!” he retorted, “even if I can, why would I want to?”

France pouted. “Because they will be better together, Angleterre.”

England seemed to hesitate, but after a few seconds of France giving him puppy eyes he sighed, rubbing his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do,” he mumbled, to which France clapped. 

“Plan one!”


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> surprisingly enough i didnt forget i just didnt think of a good chapter lol

“It’s no use,” England sighed, dropping his wand, “I can’t bring ‘em back. I’m no use.”

France frowned slightly. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve tried as many spells as I could, but none of them are working! I don’t know if I have enough magic to even try again.”

“Okay,” France murmured, “that’s okay. We have other plans, there’s no need to get worked up.”

“I am not _worked up_ ,” England hissed in a very worked-up manner. France just rolled his eyes. 

The other nations in the room, consisting of the same people who went to the secret meeting, sighed. Most of them didn’t really have the energy to do anything except mutter to each other. 

“You know, locking them in a room at this point is the most effective way to get Germany and Italy back together,” Switzerland grumbled, “they’ve been scaring Lichtenstein with their yelling and stuff. All we really have to do while they’re _in_ that room is make sure they work together somehow. Throw in some snakes to higher the stakes.”

A couple of the other people around him heard this. “Wait, that’s actually a good idea,” Finland realized, “I mean, we thought of the ‘sticking them in a room’ part but we never thought of the stakes _included_ in that. Question is, what would raise the stakes?”

Switzerland repeated snakes, but everyone ignored that.

“Well, maybe if something or even some _one_ threatened them, it would force one or the other to protect them?” France suggested, exchanging glances with a few of the gathered people.

Canada spoke up. “Well, what would we actually _do_? It can’t really be one of us because that might start another war and not get them back together,” he reasoned, “it has to be from the outside or at least from a country that won’t affect them too much.”

“Maybe if someone they both liked was in danger, it would affect both of them?” Japan shrugged. “It might help, but I mean, there would be that downside of them finding out that it was more of a trick.”

 

“Germany has dogs,” China reminded everyone, “Italy likes them too. Maybe something could happen to one of them?”

America frowned. “I ain’t putting no dogs in danger. That’s cruel.”

China turned to him. “We wouldn’t actually hurt the dog, maybe just take it so that it goes missing or give it a fake diagnosis somehow.”

“That doesn’t sound too nice,” Canada argued, “it could really stress out Germany on top of losing Italy.”

“Fair point.” France sighed. “This is turning out to be so much more complicated than it should be.”

“Okay, well, we can definitely try to take the dog. After all, it going missing isn’t going to be a big problem because we would know where it is and nothing really happens to it.” 

“I would die if someone took Hanatamago,” Finland whispered to Sweden, who nodded.

“Alright,” Russia clapped, “Some will need to take the dog. I cannot because I am far too big and clumsy. Someone small.”

“He has three, remember,” England muttered. “Which one is his oldest dog?”

“Probably Blackie, his German shepherd,” Japan hummed, “she’s quite big though. So someone who’s small enough to be unnoticed, but big enough to carry her if she doesn’t obey.”

“I can do it!” America leapt up, “I’m smallish but I’m strong enough to carry her.”

No one had any objections, so after a day was figured out, everyone left. It was agreed that after America got the dog, they would hold another meeting at his house in Texas. There were only a few people who were actually involved in these meetings; The Allies, Japan, a couple of the nordics, and a few other assorted nations, so hopefully it wouldn’t get too crowded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how well is this going to go over? no one knows
> 
> maybe yall can suggest other plans that are better than the ones i came up with owo


	11. 11

Somehow, America managed to get a hold of Germany’s oldest dog, Blackie. She was an immortal dog, though no one knew what she represented. A German Shepherd dog that was mostly black and would be considered unusable as a show dog. America was jealous because she was such a sweet dog, but now he had her! Everyone was slightly impressed, as most of them expected America to be too loud to grab her. But the plan seemed to go along smoothly.

However, when the nations came over for the second meeting to discuss further plans, the phone rang and everyone had to go dead silent. America looked worried when he saw the number. 

“Hello?”

No one else could hear anything specific, but it seemed like there was a deep voice on the other end. 

“Blackie? That’s your German Shepherd, right?” America looked worried, looking down where the dog in question sat. “Uh, I haven’t seen her. Why, what’s wrong?”

A very faint voice responded, and America exchanged glances with the others there. “Missing? Oh bro, I’m sorry, I can’t really help you though. Have you checked the backyard? Yeah? I can’t really help you then, dude. Sorry.”

He hung up, looking a little guilty. “He’s really worried about Blackie.”

France, from his position sitting on the table, sighed. “There’s not much we can do about that. Until he gets a hold of Italy and they work together, _oui_?” 

\--

Germany really, _really_ didn’t want to call Italy, but trying to get a hold of the lost pet line was risky because Blackie wasn’t officially registered, being an immortal dog. However, the way things were looking, it seemed like calling Italy would be the last viable option. None of the other nations were responding and the ones that did hadn’t seen Blackie use The Road to pop up in their countries. Most nations would feel different when another immortal stepped on their soil but no one seemed to. Germany felt Blackie’s presence leave… but to where?

Finally, he called the number that was once at the top of his phone. He hadn’t felt nervous to call Italy for the longest time but now his stomach was twisting and he felt a little sick.

“H… hello?” Came the hesitant response. Italy sounded a bit shocked.

Germany swallowed thickly. _Just say what you need! It’s not that hard!_ “Um, Italy. I-I’ve lost Blackie.”

A gasp. “Blackie?! Oh no! Where did she go?”

“That’s… uh, what I’m trying to find out. Did you feel anyone come onto your land recently?”

“Well, yes, but Antonio is over because… well. Yeah he’s over so I wouldn’t have noticed if she was here.”

What if Blackie went to go find Italy? Blackie loved Italy and she might have sensed that something was wrong, and she arrived at the same time that Antonio did? “Italy, I’m coming over to look for her. She likes you a lot… she might have gone to go find you.”

There was a minute or so of silence. Then, “fine. But I’m busy, so don’t expect me to run around and help you.”

“Fine.”

That was it? Germany hung up. He kind of expected Italy to either not talk to him at all or to hand up on him halfway through. Or to sound a little more emotional. He wasn’t really disappointed that Italy hadn’t acted that way, he just… thought he knew Italy really well. Had they really been apart for so long that he couldn’t determine how Italy would react?

It stayed on his mind, distracting him as he grabbed his coat and shoes. Once he managed to shake those thoughts, he realized maybe if someone had _taken_ Blackie, he should do something with Aster and Berlitz. After putting them in one of the rooms with a couple of their toys, he left. His heart was racing with worry; he had never really lost one of his dogs before. Even though Blackie was immortal, he really didn’t want her to be in pain or be scared. Aster and Berlitz weren’t immortal, what if something happened to them? He didn’t want that. Good thing Gilbert was home in only a half an hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ho ho ho whats up its ya girl ducks back at it again with another MINECRAFT SURVIVAL GAMES idk. my idea with the dog is dumb but theres no turning back now. uwu


	12. 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry bros, i had to write a story for english class and all the projects are keepin me busy, but every time i have down time, i make sure to work on this! hope you like it :)

Well, the plan that everyone was hoping to work did nothing.

When Germany got to Italy, he simply looked around himself. Nothing turned up so he called a few more people, then turned up unexpectedly at America’s house, where Blackie immediately exposed herself by running up to him. After a bit of a tearful reunion of a man and his best (canine) friend, Germany chastised the few remaining people at America’s place and went back home. And everyone was right back where they started.

“Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best plan,” America admitted, slumping back onto his couch. Another meeting with the people from before, this time at America’s house rather than a meeting room in a hotel or something. “What are we going to do now?”

France, who was dramatically splayed across the adjacent couch, sighed. “Oh, I don’t know… what is there to _do_ anymore?!”

“I think I have an idea.”

Everyone turned to China, who was calmly sitting on one of the many chairs that had been pulled into the living room. He stood, pointing a finger directly at Japan. “He is the closest to the two of them, and therefore he would be able to convince them to reconcile at the very least, yes?”

There was nodding, but Japan looked half dubious and half nervous. Shuffling his feet he shook his head. “They do not listen to me. I tried to call and text for the first few weeks and I still have not received a response.”

“Then we will just put you in a room with them,” China suggested, “that would force them to talk to you. You’re sort of stuck in the middle of everything and it probably will guilt-trip them into figuring things out. Perfect!”

A bit of anxiety crawled into Japan’s stomach when he heard ‘guilt-trip’. He didn’t want to ‘guilt-trip’ _anyone_ into getting into a relationship they didn’t want. He certainly would feel a bit betrayed if it was him in their place. “I do not think that is a good idea,” he mumbled, but everyone had gotten loud again and he was too nervous and quiet to say anything else.

Greece, from behind him, frowned slightly. “That’s unfair to you…”

“I know, but there is not much I can do now.”

“Are you going to do it?” Greece asked, holding out his hand, and Japan took it, feeling a bit more grounded. He sighed, shrugging. 

“I suppose it is a good plan, I just do not know what I would say…”

The other man looked concerned. “I don’t want you doing that if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“I want to help them just as much as everyone else,” Japan insisted, “If me, doing this, helps them get at least be happier, then so be it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

Greece laced their fingers together. “Okay.”

Now was the task of actually getting them in a room together with Japan. Maybe sometime after one of the meetings would be the best time for it, everyone else would leave and Japan would ask them both to stay. Or maybe they would invite both of them without the other knowing it. Either way, being in the same room with the both of them was going to be hard and very awkward. The meetings themselves were awkward enough with Italy and Germany there.

After a bit of discussion, it was decided that it would happen after the meeting. Japan would ask the two to stay, and say whatever he thought would help them at least apologize to him and/or each other. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was something everyone wanted to do. This needed to be addressed and stealing dogs wasn’t helping.


	13. 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEET hi how are ya  
> sorry i didnt really read this over too many times so there may be some mistakes, let me know if there are :)

Just as everyone had planned, Germany and Italy arrived separately at the meeting, both icy cold towards each other. It was still odd to see and definitely threw everyone off for the duration of it, as always. Japan especially was nervous, his stomach tumbling like a washing machine of nerves. Greece kept a close eye on him, but knew that once Japan was done, he was on his own.

Once dismissal was called, and everyone stood up to leave, Japan felt his chest slightly constrict. But, determined to set things straight, he headed straight for Germany.

“Er, excuse me, Germany. I was wondering if you would be able to stay for a few moments just so I can talk to you alone. Once everyone else is gone, of course.” He was surprised he didn’t stutter, but he still didn’t know if Germany was going to accept. The blond looked a bit guilty, so he only nodded. One down, one to go.

Japan quickly went back to his belongings, which were next to Italy, who was talking quietly to Spain. The spaniard noticed Japan and excused himself, leaving Japan and Italy.

“Italy, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, do you mind staying back?” 

Italy looked a bit confused, but smiled, much to Japan’s relief. “Sure!”

It wasn’t long before the three were alone in the room. Clearly, they were waiting for the other to leave. Germany kept back, near the back of the room, and Japan and Italy waited more near the door. The japanese man really hoped that Italy wouldn’t make a run for it.

“Japan? I thought you wanted to talk to me,” Germany said from the other end of the room. It made the other two jolt. “If it’s okay, I can just go…”

“No.” The short onyx-haired man quickly shut the doors. “I am talking to you both. I have to address something.”

His nerves forgotten, he grabbed Italy’s wrist and pulled him more towards Germany, which was slightly out of character for him so the other two didn’t say anything. Clearly something was wrong.

Japan took a deep breath. “You two need to work things out. This is ridiculous!”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Italy kept his head down, avoiding Germany’s icy stare defiantly. Japan sighed, and Germany rolled his eyes. Of course, Italy _did_ know, but he just didn’t want to confront it as a problem. He didn’t need to. 

“You do. You know what’s wrong.” Japan moved to stand between them, temper quickly starting to take over. Which in itself was rare for the soft-spoken man. “Listen, I have been trying to contact you both for the longest time, and _neither_ of you are willing to at least say ‘hi’?!”

Germany frowned ever so slightly. “Hey, we’ve been through a lot--”

“I don’t care! I have too! My two best friends, which used to be lovers, broke up and refused to contact me because both of them were too petty to do so! I have been sitting in my room, lonely, because we don’t even let each other know anything anymore! I’m sick of this!”

They were both too jarred by Japan’s sudden outburst, exchanging glances. Germany looked especially shaken. “Kiku…”

“Don’t ‘Kiku’ me! Both of you are selfish people for thinking only of yourselves! Haven’t you noticed?! Literally everyone has been uncomfortable and unwilling to come to these meetings because of the tension!” Kiku panted, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. Tears of frustration, surprisingly, had started to well in his eyes. “You guys had better do something about it because it’s just getting irritating. Especially for me. I don’t like seeing either of you like this.”

Silence. Feliciano and Ludwig looked both very concerned brows knitted. They didn’t know it had bothered Kiku so much. Apparently, neither did Kiku, because he sniffed and straightened his tie in attempt to regain his posture. “Listen, if you two aren’t going to fix things so that you’re at least on better terms, then I suppose I can just… I don’t know. Get away from you two. Because it’s really getting to that point.”

“Um, well, I suppose an apology is in order,” Ludwig coughed, placing an unsure hand on Kiku’s shoulder. “It’s been long enough.”

Italy looked hesitant, but nodded. “Kiku, you could have said something earlier…?”

“I tried,” the shorter man mumbled, wiping his eyes discreetly (or so he hoped), “but none of you responded to my texts. Well, Ludwig tried, but he never actually did. Don’t think I didn’t see that.”

Ludwig looked away. “Guilty as charged.”

Kiku didn’t even realize that Feliciano was hugging him until he started to actually subconsciously lean into it. Did he really need one?

…Definitely.

He swallowed thickly. “I might be overreacting. Sorry for losing my composure.”

“It’s okay,” Feliciano murmured, “it makes sense. You’re really tense.”

Ludwig squeezed Kiku’s shoulder, still a bit hesitant in what he had to do. Like, apologize now? Or later? Or should he talk to Feliciano alone? He felt a slight pull in his chest. He wanted to join the hug; Feliciano gave the best ones. A few minutes passed in silence, and things seemed to be a bit less tense. Little did the three of them know, the rest of the nations were pressed against the door, listening. That was, until the door gave way and they all fell through, earning a snort from Japan. He had assumed they would be listening, but not like _that_. “Are you okay?”

America gave a thumbs up from the bottom of the pile.


	14. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up this is a bit boring in the last half but i wanted to show how much germany thinks about everything so i figured it might be kinda nice to add it.  
> okay have fun reading and let me know how it goes, if i need to fix anything just hmu :)

After what Japan had said, Germany quickly begun to notice the other nation’s uneasiness around both him and Italy. At first, it didn’t seem to bother him, but as soon as he started to pay attention, it started to bug him. A lot. He noticed the little things, like the shuffling of feet or the unwillingness to meet his gaze, and it honestly irked him. Even Prussia seemed to avoid him. 

Was he really that sour around everyone now? No wonder nobody liked being around him before he and Italy got together. Being with Italy _had_ changed him. And Japan’s words really made him notice his attitude. Maybe apologizing to Italy was going to be the best option… but how was he supposed to? Italy had hurt him, brought up his deepest insecurities, and Germany had no idea how to forgive him for that. It _was_ in the middle of an argument, so things were said that weren’t true but it still deeply disturbed him. 

He decided that maybe consulting Japan was the best thing, so when he called and Japan answered, he was quickly invited over. It wasn’t long before he found himself criss-crossed on Japan’s soft mat, tea in hand. 

“...so I just don’t know how to forgive him,” Germany admitted, staring down into the dark liquid in his cup, “it’s hard, you know?”

Japan nodded, taking a seat across from him. “Yes, I know.”

“It just feels like he was waiting on pulling that out. Like he knew it was waiting for me to get angry to shut me down.”

“Mm.”

He took a sip, closing his eyes. “I… I do want to forgive him. We had so much fun together, and now I just ruined everything by getting mad at him.”

“Well, have you considered maybe his slacking off is an insecurity of _his_?” Japan pointed out, “After all, he was the one who seemed to get upset when you pointed out that he was forgetting things.”

That was… true, Germany supposed, he hadn’t really thought of that before. He frowned. “Oh…”

“Both of you know each other’s issues and while you might not know exactly what it is, you know each other well enough to be able to irritate the other.”

It was a fair point. Just as Germany opened his mouth to respond, Greece walked in the door. He looked around before seeing the two of them. “Kiku? Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s okay,” Japan replied, motioning for Greece to come over. Germany and Greece didn’t know each other terribly well, though they had a few things in common, so he was a bit unsure as to how to feel. But Japan seemed relaxed with Greece there, so he’d just have to live with it. “Anyway, continue, Germany.”

“Um. I just don’t know how to forgive him. That’s all.” He tried to ignore the fact that Greece was slowly wrapping his arm around Japan, hand trailing down his side and oh. Straight to his bottom. Japan didn’t even seem to notice. 

“Have you tried talking to him since I talked to you before?”

Germany opted to just look away. “No, no. I haven’t thought of anything to say. When my dog went missing, I called him to see if he knew where she was, but other than that… nothing. I haven’t really addressed the problem.”

“Start with that,” Greece chimed in, scooping a gradually-reddening Japan closer, “you just have to address that first. You can’t act like there’s no problem, get it out of the way, then mend the relationship from there.”

Those were surprisingly wise words from someone who was not-so-subtly groping his boyfriend in front of someone. Germany stared for a few seconds then coughed, nodding. “Right.”

“A-at least call him if you can’t do it in person,” the raven-haired-red-faced man advised. He pushed Greece’s hands away, but it didn’t last long. “Eventually set up a time that you are able meet up…”

Germany waited for Japan to finish, but with Greece’s hand disappearing and Japan’s gradually reddening face, he decided it was best if he just left. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on between them at the moment, and he really didn’t _want_ to stick around to find out. He was sure he already knew.

He didn’t even think Japan notice him leave, so he texted him he had an urgent meeting with his boss. Which obviously wasn’t true, but Japan didn’t even respond right away like usual so… who knew if he cared.

So it was settled. Germany would call Italy, arrange a time they could talk, then everything would be over with. He felt like he needed a third person, though. Someone that could ease the tension between all of them. He really wanted to ask Japan, after all, Japan was really good at this kind of thing, apparently. But at the same time both Germany _and_ Italy were already asking so much of Japan that it just… didn’t feel fair to them.

Prussia did _not_ like Italy anymore, at least he didn’t act like it. His overprotective brother instincts had kicked in and he wouldn’t let Germany talk to Italy if he could help it, and he himself didn’t talk to Italy either. Romano _might_ have been their next go-to, but… it was sort of obvious he didn’t like Germany and Italy together in the first place, so. That was a no. Spain and France were still in slight disagreement with which was the better side, so they were both a no. Who else was close to them, though, that was okay with relationship stuff?

Hungary.

Germany had thought about inviting Austria for a bit, but considering the musician didn’t have much luck in the relationship department (how many times had he married again?) he was quickly dropped as a candidate. Plus, Hungary _did_ say that if Germany needed anything, he should just call or text her. 

When he got around to calling, he had to reiterate he didn’t want Prussia knowing about this. Hungary seemed a bit doubtful that keeping it a secret from his brother and her boyfriend would help, but agreed nonetheless. Germany liked to be in control and if he thought keeping it from Prussia was the best option, then it was.

It ended up being a last-minute arrangement with Italy to meet up for lunch. Dinner was too formal and might bring back memories that neither of them wanted, and anything before that was too early. He sounded surprised, but agreed, and when Hungary was mentioned as a third person, he seemed to relax.

Germany was ever-calculating, is what it all boiled down to. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect, and that everything would go smoothly. The only thing was, this was _Italy_ we were talking about. Italy was unpredictable. Who knew if it would go the way he wanted? Hopefully it would.

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~the thing that germany and greece have in common is that theyre furries~~


	15. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ive updated? guess so

Apparently, fate hated Germany. He woke up late, didn’t have enough time to worry about what he was going to wear, and most importantly, he was late to the actual lunch. Him! Germany, master of planning, schedules, and being on time. Late. _Perfect_. Waking to the sound of his alarm was already bad enough, but falling off the bed in haste to get up was worse. 

Even Italy was there early or even on time (he wasn’t sure which), and Germany wasn’t. So much for a good impression. At least him showing up wearing some all-too-casual clothes didn’t seem to make Italy weirded out. It seemed to do the opposite, in fact; Italy giggled when he saw Germany stumble out of the bus. 

After an awkward greeting, they waited for Hungary to arrive, watching clouds darken with rain. She, too, wasn’t usually late but then again, neither was Germany. So they waited. And waited. And waited.

“I-I suppose I could just check, maybe Hungary texted…” Germany mumbled, pulling out his phone. The slightly sick feeling of panic and a bit of betrayal slid around his throat as he realized there was just one text message, and it was from her.

**[ Have fun! I double-booked just for you~ ]**

That wasn’t supposed to be how everything went down! She was supposed to be there to relieve some tension! He shuffled his feet, putting away his phone. “She’s not coming.”

Italy inhaled deeply. He, himself, was silently counting on her to help him. After all, she was basically a mother figure to him and technically having her around would be a big comfort. But now he was here, thrown into doing this himself. “Oh.” 

“I suppose we should… go to lunch…” This was going to be the most awkward thing in the world. Neither of them were really prepared to do something like this. There was supposed to be a ‘middle man’ but look where they were now. Just the two of them.

Determined not to make it awkward, Italy smiled. “That’s okay! We should go make sure our reservation is still on, we don’t want to be kicked out.”

That was a good point, so they made their way into the restaurant. But again, fate didn’t like them. “Sorry, you didn’t come on time. We don’t have a table available for you at this time… you would have to wait about an hour and a half before we have a table that’s available.”

Thanking the hostess, they left the restaurant. “Um… what should we do then?” Germany asked. Without his plans, and schedules, he was useless. Luckily, Italy didn’t seem mad. 

“If you don’t mind, we can go…” he paused, thinking for a moment. “We can go to the sandwich shop down the road! It won’t take very long.”

It was closed.

“Um, right, maybe we can go for a walk in the park. We might run into a food truck or something,” Germany shrugged. Italy seemed to agree, grabbing his hand and leading him into the park. It left Germany’s cheeks stained pink with embarrassment. He wasn’t used to this after so long, so he pulled his hand slowly out of Italy’s grasp. 

He should have known that Germany wouldn’t be comfortable with this, really. But it still made his heart hurt. They used to be so close, and his rarely-present temper had driven them apart. And it was all his fault.

As soon as they got to the park, though, the dark clouds gave way, a heavy downpour immediately drenching them. Despite the fact they weren’t a couple, Germany slid off his coat and put it over Italy.

“Um, aren’t you going to get drenched?” Italy asked, pulling the coat closer around him. It smelled faintly of Germany’s cologne that was so familiar. “You should have your coat back.”

“No, it’s okay. I needed a shower anyway…” he shrugged, looking up at the sky briefly. “What else could we do?”

“Maybe there are still food trucks?” 

Looks like fate had something else in mind. There were no food trucks anywhere, even along the street there usually were.

Germany was utterly defeated at this point, the rain sliding from his hair and dripping down his nose. The determination to make sure he and Italy made up slowly dwindling like the sunlight in the sky. There was nothing at this point that he could do. Everything seemed to be working against him. 

“I don’t know what to do anymore…” he mumbled, sitting on the bench and putting his head in his hands. “Everything seems to be falling apart...”

Italy wasn’t allowed to comfort him, right? After all, they were supposed to be still mad at each other. But he couldn’t help but feel pity for the poor blond. It was true, nothing was going his way. “Oh, Ludwig… it’s okay. Some things just aren’t meant to be, I guess.”

“But that’s not how it was supposed to be! We were supposed to make up and get back together--” He cut himself off. Is that what he really wanted? Apparently so, because his eyes flooded with tears again. Again. Why did he have to cry so much nowadays? It had been years-- literal _years_ since he had cried properly and here he was, acting like a child. 

Back together? Back…. _together_? Is that what Germany wanted? A pang of happiness, uneasiness… _something_ hit Italy’s heart. He wanted to get back together too, but clearly they weren’t cut out for each other. Right? That was what had showed during their relationship. Well, more specifically that one part of it. Really, just that one argument… every other argument was stupid and usually over small things.

He sat down next to Germany, keeping a fair distance. “You… do you want to get back together, Ludwig?”

“Of course,” the other man murmured, hiding his face. He didn’t want to admit it before but now he was so sure that’s what he wanted, realizing it as rain trickled down his back. “I’ve missed you _far_ too much for it to be something that I don’t want… b-but I understand if… if we’re not close enough anymore.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Feliciano laughed airly in disbelief. “I’ve been quite literally begging for forgiveness this entire ordeal. You’ve turned me down multiple times. Are you sure you want to get back with me?”

 

Ludwig nodded, steel blue eyes meeting amber. “I’ve wanted it since the beginning… I just never thought it through?” Hesitating, he looked back to the ground. “I… I didn’t want to think about it because clearly you didn’t like me. S-saying… saying _that_ , it… it hurt. I wanted to be mad but I just felt sad.”

Clearly he was rambling at this point, but Feliciano couldn’t care less. He scooted so their legs were close enough to touch. “I felt absolutely horrible for saying that… I truly did. Apparently the first thing I asked Lovi is if I actually said it.”

Despite the way he was feeling right now, Ludwig found his lips pulling into a small smile. He wiped his nose, the rain dripping off the tip. “Well, you did, I can tell you that.”

“Unfortunately… I was just. So mad and that fact isn’t really even true? It really was Lovi that left… I just followed… there wasn’t much thought behind it other than me being a wimp.”

“You’re not a wimp,” Ludwig interjected, finally facing him properly this time, “there are moments where you’re too cautious, but you’re not a wimp.”

“I beg to differ, everyone knows I’m a wimp.”

“I also beg to differ. You have fought in wars and while you might be over-cautious, you don’t back down. Remember what Sadiq said? I was so surprised and awed.”

Feliciano blinked, heart fluttering at the way Ludwig spoke about him. But he shoved it away. “That was a one-time thing.”

“Still happened.” The rain poured harder and Ludwig looked to the sky, his hair messy and soaked. “I don’t know if I can fully forgive you for what you said, but I’m willing to try and get through it.”

Smiling happily despite the dreary weather, Feliciano leaned against Ludwig, who tensed up. “You know, I think this is one of our best dates.”

“Date?”

“Well, it’s just the two of us, right? And we were going to eat and make up. I call that a date, personally…” Feliciano shrugged. “I like it. Favourite date.”

“It’s pouring rain,” Ludwig pointed out, but his eyes glimmered with amusement, “I would personally say we could do better.”

“Bet!”

“You’re ridiculous. I’ve… I’ve missed that….”

Feliciano rested his head on the other man’s shoulder. “I missed _you_. And I don’t blame you for reacting in that way once I said that. I can’t express… I can’t express how much I regret saying that.”

That seemed to do the trick, and Ludwig smiled broadly, pulling Feliciano into his arms. “I’ve missed you too.”

They were both sopping wet in the rain, but Feliciano probably liked this hug the best. It had meaning to it. Ludwig couldn’t deny that he loved it too.

It would probably take a few days of being apart for them to fully forgive each other, but at least now they were on better terms to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me if you want another chapter where its fluff bc im leaning towards it

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it so far :)  
> my tumblr blogs are voluptuousducks (main) voluptuousducks-art (art) ask-noodle-gerita (ask) ask-noodle-spamano (ask 2)


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